


Corporal Jev

by Islair



Category: The Emperor's Edge Series - Lindsay Buroker
Genre: Alternate Universe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2019-06-02
Packaged: 2019-06-21 15:58:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15561312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Islair/pseuds/Islair
Summary: Corporal Wholt breaks a leg, putting him out of action for a while. So Corporal Lokdon finds herself assigned a temporary patrolling partner.





	1. Chapter 1

“Stop, thief!” yelled Corporal Amaranthe Lokdon at the top of her voice as she tore down the busy street after the escaping lowlife. Passersby jumped out of her way to avoid being unceremoniously shouldered aside. Several paces behind her, she could hear her patrol partner, Corporal Wholt, puffing to keep up. A diet overly-heavy with doughnuts and pastries made for an unfit Enforcer, and Wholt was not one to pass a doughnut stall without partaking.

The fleeing thief ducked into a narrow alleyway ahead and Amaranthe followed, hoping Wholt was close enough behind to see where she went. The miscreant turned again, into an alley that ran back along behind the buildings they had just passed. Damn. Wholt wouldn’t be close enough to see her take this turning.

She darted down the new alley anyway, and was slowly gaining on the thief when she heard Wholt cry out behind her. Turning, expecting to see her partner under attack, she instead saw him sprawled in the muck, his leg bent at a bad angle. She glanced back towards where her quarry had been, but the thief had used her moment of distraction to disappear.

“Amaranthe! I think my leg is broken. My foot went down an uncovered drain and tripped me.” Wholt called to her.

Amaranthe walked back to him. “Okay, lets get your foot free and see about splinting your leg ‘til we can get you to the doctor.”

It took most of the rest of their shift for Amaranthe to get Wholt back to headquarters for treatment, despite flagging down a steam lorry to help transport him. The doctor got his leg properly set and then had Wholt driven home with strict instructions to keep off his feet completely for the next four weeks, and not to return to normal beat work for a further four weeks after that.

Amaranthe filled out and filed the paperwork from the day’s shift, and told the manager in charge of the duty roster the bad news. She left him juggling shifts and cancelling leave to cover Wholt’s absence, and headed for home.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Amaranthe turned up for work at Enforcer Headquarters as usual, wondering who she would be assigned to work with whilst Wholt convalesced.

As she stepped through the door, the Chief spotted her and waved her over. “Corporal Lokdon. I have a temporary assignment for you.”

He led her into his office. “Take a seat.” The Chief settled into his own chair behind the desk.

“This is an unusual one. Normally, it is a crime to impersonate an Enforcer, but this order comes from Commander Hollowcrest himself. You are assigned to partner with Hollow’s undercover operative and ensure that normal Enforcer business and protocol is seen to be observed and that he does not bring the Enforcers into disrepute whilst in disguise. You will be taking over the Ambassadorial District beat for the duration. You should assist the operative in his duties but stay out of the way if things kick off. And, as this is a sensitive matter, you are not to discuss this operation with anyone else, inside or outside the force. Clear?”

“Yes, sir.” Amaranthe replied.

The Chief stood. “Okay, lets introduce you to your temporary partner.”

The Chief led her through to another office towards the back of Headquarters. Inside, a man in Enforcer uniform was leaning against one wall, arms crossed. He stared at them blandly, without comment. His olive skin and dark eyes were classic Turgonian, but Amaranthe noticed that his eyebrows and the strands of hair poking out from underneath his uniform cap were - unusually - a sandy blond.

“This is, uh, Corporal Jev.” The Chief told her. “Jev, this is Corporal Lokdon. She is assigned to be your partner for this operation.”

“Understood.” Jev commented, and nodded at her.

“Right, then. I’ll leave you two to it.” said the Chief, nervously. He turned tail and hurried away leaving Amaranthe alone with Jev.

Jev continued to gaze blandly at her, without speaking.

Amaranthe started to feel more than a little nervous, and attempted to fill the awkward silence. “Um. So, is there any background or details of this mission that you need to tell me?” she began.

 "Just play the part, so that I am seen as just another Enforcer." Jev replied.

_So you're not going to tell me what this is about then_ , Amaranthe thought to herself. Her curiosity was clearly going to be working overtime. Aloud, she said "Okay. um. Well, we better get going then, or we'll be late for the start of the shift."

Jev nodded and held out one hand, inviting her to lead the way.


	3. Chapter 3

On the trolley over to the Ambassadorial District, Amaranthe tried to coax her silent companion into conversation.

"So. I presume you've already read the Enforcer pledge and codes of conduct? Your uniform is to regulation standard."

He looked back at her flatly. "I have researched the role."

"Oh. Good. The Ambassadorial District beat we've been assigned covers the streets between Golden Grimbal Lane and the Old Wall. The Nurian and Kendorian ambassadors both have properties in the area..."

He cut her off mid-flow. "I requested this beat specifically. This is our stop. Come."

Jev leapt off the trolley and stalked across to wait outside The Golden Grimbal before she could say another word. Amaranthe scrambled to follow.

"The beat walk is up Golden Grimbal Lane to the water pump, then down past the Nurian Ambassador's residence on Moss Street as far as Four Stumps Square. Then along past the Kendorian Ambassador's residence on Guardsman's Lane, up Solstice Steps and finally down Old Wall Street back to here." Amaranthe told him.

Jev nodded, and set out along Golden Grimbal Lane at a brisk walk. Amaranthe had to jog to catch up with him.

"Jev! Slow down! Enforcers patrol at a gentle, leisurely walking pace, keeping an eye and ear out for trouble."

He glared at her flatly without comment, but moderated his pace to match hers.

"That's better. Gently meander along getting a good look at our surroundings and the people on the street. Just pretend you're a rookie on your first day, and I'm showing you the ropes."

Jev didn't respond, but continued to walk along beside her, his hands clasped behind his back, eyes gazing straight ahead.

"Look around you more." Amaranthe chided.

"I am observing all that is occurring." He replied without even looking at her.

"Well, show that you are looking more. Just seeing an Enforcer looking their way can put someone off who's thinking of risking doing something illegal."

Jev gave a small sigh, and started to move his gaze around, looking from one side to the other. Glaring at passersby, who started giving them a wide berth.

Thus, they continued to walk the beat together. Amaranthe repeatedly tried to draw Jev into conversation as they walked - What did he think about the weather? Had he heard the latest about the various political manoeuvrings that had been in yesterday's papers? Did he follow any athletes in the Games? - but he remained resolutely silent. Eventually, she gave up and resorted to monologuing on whatever topic came into her head. Clearly it was going to be a long boring day.

They stopped at the water pump to drink before heading down Moss Street. Amaranthe noticed that there appeared to be far less footfall down Moss Street that she recalled from the last time she had been assigned to cover this beat. _Strange_ , she thought, filing the observation away for later investigation. As they passed the Nurian Ambassador's residence she started to get a mild headache, like a tight band around her forehead. By the time they rounded the corner into Four Stumps Square however, her headache was fading as quickly as it had come on.

She must have let her discomfort show on her face, because Jev stopped and regarded her closely. "Hmm."

"What? I've just got a slight headache is all. Probably should have drunk more at the pump. It's fading now, anyway."

"Let us continue, then." He walked off a few paces, then looked back at her expectantly.

Amaranthe sighed, and rubbed her eyes. She was feeling better by the minute, anyway. She caught up with Jev and they continued to walk their beat.

 


	4. Chapter 4

As they turned onto Solstice Square, Amaranthe was in the middle of giving Jev a detailed monologue on Corporal Wholt's fondness for doughnuts. As she looked up the steps though, she spotted a shifty-looking youth grab a woman's handbag and race away.

She blew her whistle, shouted "Stop, thief!", and rushed up the steps after the perp. Jev joined in the pursuit, taking the steps two at a time, and rapidly overtook her. He tackled the youth, slamming him against a wall. A knife had appeared in his hand from somewhere, which Jev held to the youth's throat.

Amaranthe caught up with them, and gave Jev a glare over his rough treatment of the prisoner. She handcuffed the youth, and returned the handbag to its owner. After taking the youth's details - which he was more than willing to comply with under Jev's hard gaze - she let him off with a caution.

Once the perp had left the scene, Amaranthe signalled Jev to come closer so she could talk to him.

"Jev! That was far too rough. We are supposed to be protectors of the people. Most perps are just ordinary folk who strayed slightly. They do something once, get caught, and don't do it again. Don't break people over a minor offence. Also... that knife is not Enforcer issue. No non-regulation weapons on duty. If you want to be a believable Enforcer, you need to stick to the rules."

He sighed softly, but then nodded, putting the knife away into a hidden sheath up his sleeve. "Noted."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Their second walk round the beat passed largely without incident.

Breaking up an argument between two drunks that was threatening to turn into a fight outside the Golden Grimbal was the only action they needed to take, and Amaranthe was happy to have talked both sides into calming down. Jev's icy stare had probably also helped convince them that violence was not a option. As they passed the Nurian Ambassador's residence on Moss Street, Amaranthe's earlier headache returned, but faded again just as quickly.

As they came up on The Golden Grimbal for the third time, the clock tower chimes for midday sounded. Amaranthe's stomach rumbled.

"Time to stop for lunch." she told Jev. "The food here is cheap and reasonable quality, or it was last time I worked this beat."

Jev shook his head. "I am not hungry."

"You're entitled to an hour's rest for lunch anyway." She squinted at the chalkboard listing the day's specials. "The sausage and apple stew sounds good. Sure you don't want any?"

"Go get your food. I shall wait here." Jev crossed his arms and leant against the wall of the inn.

Well, if he wanted to go all day without eating, it was his choice. Amaranthe shook her head and headed into the inn to order her food.

 

* * *

 

Amaranthe emerged from the inn a few minutes later. She was carefully carrying a large glass of iced tea in one hand, and a bowl of stew with a large piece of flatbread balanced precariously on top in the other. She sat down on a bench next to where Jev was standing, and began to eat.

A thought suddenly occurred as she was in the middle of chewing through a large mouthful of stew. "Mmm. Mmm." She waved her spoon at Jev, then decided to take a big sip of iced tea to wash down the stew. "I was talking to the landlady..."

Jev looked at her sharply. "Do you not even stop talking when you eat?"

She glared back at him. "Normally, we would take turns talking but since you won't take part, I am having to speak twice as much as normal in order to compensate. Anyway, as I was saying, I was talking to the landlady and she said that there has been a huge downturn in trade for the businesses on Moss Street in the last 3 weeks. Several are considering moving elsewhere or just closing down if things don't improve soon. It's like everyone suddenly decided not to walk past the Nurian Ambassador's residence anymore. Even the tenants renting the flats above the shops are moving out."

"Hm." said Jev.

Amaranthe waited for a few moments in case any further comment was forthcoming, but he remained silent. So she went back to eating her lunch.

 


End file.
